I Dream of Genie

The magic lamp carrying the Dragon’s Crown genie can be found in the hands of pirates. If the pirate holding the lamp is defeated, players can use the object to summon the genie to battle. The genie’s presence is impossible to ignore as he rains furious vengeance down on the pirate horde. The genie is bound to do the bidding of whomever holds the lamp, however, and the pirates can also summon him. The genie is frustrated with his ordeal and longs for his freedom, and players can actually grant his wish and liberate him from his prison. After spending thousands of years confined to his lamp, the genie is finally able to use his powers on himself. He soon amasses an impressive treasure trove and gains a following of beautiful women from around the world in the process. Don’t you just love happy endings?

A trio of legendary Pokémon collectively known as the Forces of Nature were considered for this list, but I ultimately felt that Hoopa was a better fit for the genie theme. Hoopa’s is known as a troublemaker who uses magic rings as portals to teleport anything and everything to faraway places. Legend has it that it once carried away an entire castle just to access the treasure held inside! This might explain why Hoopa’s true power was sealed away in a prison bottle long ago. Hoopa’s default form confines his strength, but his true power can potentially be released from the aforementioned bottle. Unfortunately, Hoopa can only assume his unbound form for a few days before reverting back. Some solace might be found in the fact that Hoopa doesn’t have to live in the bottle, but I’m not sure Poké Balls are any better.

Many characters were introduced in Diddy Kong Racing, but most of them have been forgotten. Conker and Banjo went on to bigger and better things, but Taj is seldom mentioned. A magical blue elephant who resides on Timber’s Island, Taj helps Diddy and his friends defeat the evil Wizpig. When summoned by one of his friends, Taj uses his magical powers to swap out their current vehicle with a different one. He also helps his friends hone their driving skills by challenging them to races. (Naturally, Taj races atop a magic carpet.) Taj was slated to appear in Donkey Kong Racing on the GameCube, but the project was cancelled after Nintendo and Rare divorced. Fortunately, the DS port of Diddy Kong Racing gave Taj a promotion and included him as an unlockable racer. Despite his size, Taj was the fastest character in the game.

Before being added to Animal Crossing: New Leaf, Wisp was shrouded in mystery. He mostly kept to himself and would only appear in the early hours of the morning, but the introverted genie would occasionally enlist help to collect spirits that were scattered throughout the village. As a reward, Wisp would give villagers random items, paint the roof of their house, or remove all of the weeds in town. It’s unclear why Wisp wanted the roaming spirits to be returned to him, but he could sometimes be heard muttering about an unidentified master. Wisp bears resemblance to Boos from the Mario series, but the lamp spirit is quite fearful of ghosts and enjoys the safety that his lamp provides. Wisp is unable to stay outside of his lamp for extended periods, but he can buy extra time by possessing other villagers.

Genies are often depicted as mischievous beings, so Ruby’s penchant for troublemaking isn’t surprising. Her playful personality landed her in a magic lamp, but the stunning genie soon used her natural powers of seduction to charm the pants of a king. The relationship was doomed to failure, however, as the king and his men were afraid of her fierce temper. Eventually, the lamp was gifted to a young man named Toan who subsequently released her from captivity. Ruby decided to accompany Toan on his quest to stop the legendary Dark Genie from taking over the world. Incidentally, she was concerned that the Dark Genie would bring shame on their kind. Ruby’s good looks allow her to manipulate men to her whim, but it’s her ability to manipulate the elements with magic rings that makes her a valuable party member.

A fledgling wizard named Oliver got more than he bargained for after releasing Al-Khemi from a cauldron. While most genies offer their services to whomever summons them, the right to command Al-Khemi must be earned through battle. Al-Khemi attacks with various weapons that he conjures from his magic cauldron. However, the cauldron is so cluttered with junk that he occasionally pulls out a frilly parasol in lieu of a flaming sword. If defeated, Al-Khemi will permit Oliver to use his cauldron to perform the art of alchemy. This allows the young wizard to combine items together to make more useful ones. Everything from chocolate to cannons can be created, and Oliver is encouraged to be more adventurous in order to find new formulas. Alchemy is a useful skill, and Oliver is lucky to have met Al-Khemi rather than Ay-Nalrapist.

A genie’s lamp usually serves as a prison, but Ninjini made the most of her situation after she was trapped in an enchanted bottle by an evil sorceress who was jealous of her snazzy hairstyle. Her years inside the bottle were spent on self-improvement, and Ninjini took the time to hone her fighting skills and bolster her magic abilities. Her power eventually became too vast to contain, and she was able to escape her enchanted prison. One of the eight giants in Skylanders: Giants, Ninjini spins into battle with ninja swords that she summons out of thin air. If her opponents are out of range, she can simply create magical orbs to attack from afar. She can also hide inside her bottle to increase her speed, improve her endurance, or launch magical homing missiles. A genie using their prison as a weapon is poetic justice at its finest.

Sonic and the Secret Rings wasn’t a great game by any stretch of the imagination, but the world of Arabian Nights provided an interesting backdrop. Similar to the genie in the original story of Aladdin, Shahra resides in a magic ring and is able to grant wishes when she is summoned. In a bid to stop a rival genie named Erazor, Shahra enlists the help of Sonic the Hedgehog and grants him special abilities and bonuses along the way. She can call forth magic carpets or conjure mountains of handkerchiefs, but her wish-granting abilities are limited compared to Erazor. Although her powers are modest, she makes up for it with her bravery and goes so far as to sacrifice herself in order to save Sonic. Shahra is quickly wished back to life after Sonic gets ahold of Erazor’s magic lamp, but this doesn’t take away from her selflessness.

Genies like Solmyr were servants of the gods before the advent of men. Though they envied humans for their free will, they were bound to them not only by magic, but through an innate sense of honor. After being trapped in a bottle for over a millennium, Solmyr accidentally swore to serve the man who released him for eternity. Oops! Compelled to keep his word, Solymr served the Immortal King, Gavin Magnus, for centuries. Due to his abiding dedication to his master, Solymr became one of the king’s most trusted advisers. His sense of duty seemed unshakable, but Solymr was a student of human history and was deeply troubled by his master’s behavior. In the end, Solymr freed himself from the chains of servitude and betrayed his long-time master in order to stop him from enslaving the entire world.

Shantae is technically only a half genie, but it would be a miscarriage of justice if she wasn’t mentioned here. (If Barack Obama can be considered the first black POTUS, then Shantae can certainly be recognized as a genie.) Shantae is young and somewhat naive, but she ultimately overcomes her anxieties as she defends her town from pirates. Driven by a strong sense of justice and blessed with a myriad of magical abilities, Shante performs exotic belly dances in order to transform into creatures ranging from elephants to mermaids. She’s self-conscious about her mixed ancestry and openly questions if she’s fit for her role as a Guardian Genie, but her townspeople welcome her with open arms. She has no reason to be insecure as far as I’m concerned. If I had a lamp that would make Shantae appear, I would never stop rubbing it.